62: Chapter 62 Brother Ma, how come you're even more honest than Lord Wei?

In a house half a street away, Lv Yang had been using his spiritual energy to keep an eye on Tang Long.

However, even though he was over fifty and had countless experiences, he couldn't bear to watch any longer upon seeing this.

As time went on, the intelligence he had on Tang Long grew, and he had prepared to use his privilege to make this arrest warrant and the relevant people disappear.

But he also learned that Tang Long had once sold the mask of calamity to Wei Baoquan for thirty spirit stones.

As for how Tang Long stole it back from Wei Baoquan afterwards, he wasn't quite sure.

But he knew that the mask was a sacred relic of the Holy Messenger, and anyone who wasn't a true Holy Messenger would suffer greatly upon touching it.

Furthermore, of the things Tang Long just said, at most three or four tenths were true; the rest was all fabrication.

Therefore, this kid was inciting Wei Baoquan to fight the Blasphemers and had come up with a series of terrible ideas.

Using wealth as bait, he made Wei Baoquan happily board his pirate ship.

This is scamming people.

And he scammed the same person twice in a row...

Now, he felt a bit reluctant to make this Wei Baoquan disappear.

In his mind, a saint should be sacred, mysterious, powerful, and solemn, but now... that filter had completely shattered into dust.

This kid's heart is truly black.

He not only wanted to scam Wei Baoquan and the Blasphemers, but he also wanted to scam the hundreds of thousands of people inside and outside the market.

As for the title of 'Inheritor of Calamity', this guy was truly worthy of the name.

But could a person like this... really help him reach that position?

Or rather, did he dare to use him?

If he brought him into Song City, with his style of doing things and ability to cause trouble, let alone the position of High Priest, he might not even be able to hold onto the position of Bishop.

Also, Tang Long just mentioned that he came from a mine owned by the Duke of Fengcheng. That Ye Baiming...

Lv Yang instinctively wanted to communicate with the High Priest and ask for guidance, but he was afraid the High Priest would think he lacked initiative.

While Lv Yang was conflicted, Wei Baoquan had already begun acting under Tang Long's planning.

The amount for the security deposit was finally set at 1,000 yuan; if they couldn't produce cash, they could use hard currencies like spirit stones or spirit residue to compensate.

Most of the refugees gathered here were poor, but there were some with a little savings; by gritting their teeth and scraping it together, they could barely come up with this money.

The number of these people exceeded sixty thousand, so a few hours later, a pile of money, spirit stones, and spirit residue taller than Wei Baoquan himself was stacked in front of him.

After staring blankly for a long time, Wei Baoquan was uncharacteristically generous for once, directly giving Ma Chi and Tang Long a bonus of 200,000 each.

Tang Long and Ma Chi were both secretly cursing his ancestors to the eighteenth generation, but on the surface, they still flattered him profusely, singing the praises of Wei Baoquan.

Wei Baoquan had never felt this happy in his entire life, so he directly delegated power to the two of them, giving them full responsibility for all other matters.

"Brother Tang, Lord Wei only gives authority but no money. What about the people and tasks below? If we make others work for nothing, will the Joint Defense Brigade ever be built? How about we both chip in a little?"

Hearing Ma Chi bring up such a question, Tang Long looked astonished.

"Brother Ma, why are you even more honest than Lord Wei? Do you have so much money you don't know where to spend it? Paying out of your own pocket to work for the public? Besides, with the little money we have, if we spread it out among thousands of people, how much would each get? Is that enough to make them risk their lives?"

Ma Chi's face twitched as he was asked, "Then... what do you suggest?"

"The wool comes from the dog. We'll build the Joint Defense Brigade as planned, not only without paying salaries, but also charging an enrollment fee!"

"What! You want to charge money? Who would be so stupid?"

"Stupid? Did you forget everything I said before? As long as they have law enforcement power, they can fine people for illegal activities. As long as they are a bit clever, are you afraid they won't be able to make back their investment? Only those who don't make money are the real fools."

Ma Chi suddenly realized, "You mean, just like how Lord Wei assigns tasks to us?"

"Exactly." Tang Long pursed his lips. "Of the fine revenue, they can keep fifty percent, and give thirty percent to Lord Wei."

"Only giving Lord Wei thirty percent?"

"Fifty percent is for the two thousand people to split, and thirty percent is for Lord Wei to take himself." Speaking of this, Tang Long lowered his voice and gestured between the two of them. "The remaining twenty percent, get it?"

"Got it, got it! We brothers will split it equally." Ma Chi grinned from ear to ear. "Then how much should we set the enrollment fee for the Joint Defense Brigade?"

"Let's make it two thousand."

"Two thousand!?" Ma Chi was stunned for a moment. "That's double the market entry security deposit; isn't that a bit excessive?"

"This money won't go to anyone else; we'll just split it between ourselves."

"Then... that number is very reasonable!"

"The Joint Defense Brigade is newly established, and its composition is complex. The old brothers under Brother Ma must serve as the backbone, and each one must take on the position of team leader. You must make sure to instruct them well and ensure they are serious and responsible."

Ma Chi laughed, understanding perfectly.

Thus, a vigorous and massive shakedown began.

The public's enthusiasm for joining the Joint Defense Brigade was even higher than imagined. The originally set quota of two thousand could not meet the enthusiasm for signing up at all, so after reporting to Wei Baoquan, it was expanded to three thousand people.

The enrollment fees alone eventually reached a staggering 6 million.

After the Joint Defense Brigade was established, it quickly began to police and adjust the order within the market.

Not to mention the obvious illegal acts, tents set up randomly everywhere were all considered illegal structures; after being fined, they were assigned designated areas by the brigade.

Those carrying weapons either had to pay an additional weapon control tax or have them confiscated on the spot.

All food was to be handed over for unified distribution, including that of the original residents of the market; those who concealed or resisted were fined mercilessly.

Most of the newly arrived refugees hadn't brought any food, and they couldn't just eat and drink for free, right? If they wanted to get rationed meals, paying some food fees was very reasonable.

All sorts of rules and fee categories appeared, causing complaints everywhere; riots and conflicts broke out in many places, but they were quickly and ruthlessly suppressed.

Inside the small courtyard on the edge, the three people, including Ning Zuo, who were resting with their eyes closed, were suddenly awakened by a flurry of urgent knocking at the door.

After exchanging glances, Ning Zuo went out to open the door himself, only to see Ma Chi leading several dozen people blocking the door.

"Officer Ma, what is this?"

"Brother Ning, where are Elder Ming and Miss Mei'er?"

"The boss and the young miss have gone out. Is there something you need?"

"It's like this: due to the frequent heavenly changes in the surrounding areas, a large number of refugees have flooded into our Linshan Market. Therefore, Lord Wei has ordered that all food in the market be centrally distributed by our bureau, and the stored grain you have here must also be handed over entirely."

Ning Zuo frowned, "Hand it over? You're not joking, are you? This is private property; handing it over for nothing..."

Ma Chi put on a stern face, "Who said you were handing it over for nothing? The Bounty Bureau is buying it from you! Although we can only issue IOUs for now, as long as the imperial court allocates funds, we will naturally compensate you every cent.

Brother Ning, with so many people crowded into the market, if they all go hungry, something big will happen. You must consider the bigger picture.

According to the newly issued temporary regulations, hoarding grain privately at this time is a serious illegal act, and Lord Wei will never allow anyone to hoard and resell. If Elder Ming were here, he would understand these principles without me saying them."

Ning Zuo hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Alright then, there is indeed some stored grain in the house. But if we hand it all over, what will we eat? We can keep some for ourselves, right?"

"Of course not. Regulations are regulations; you cannot bargain. You can apply to us to purchase rations, and the food fee is thirty yuan per person per day."

"What? We handed over the grain, and we still have to spend money to buy it back?"

"What else? Do you expect everyone to eat for free? It's only thirty yuan, and someone cooks it and delivers it to your door; is that expensive?"

"This..."

"Brother, these are extraordinary times, and the Bounty Bureau has no choice. Everything must give way to the bigger picture. How many people are there here in total?"

"My younger brother and I... and a friend."

"A friend? What kind of friend? Call them out and let me see!"

"Brother Ma, is that really necessary?"

Ma Chi sneered twice, "Brother Ning, tens of thousands of people have flooded into the market, and there are over two hundred thousand outside. Violent crimes have been frequent these past few days, and the security situation is very grim. You say it's not necessary, but if something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"

"We have always been long-time residents of Linshan Market, and my boss and the young miss are honest merchants who have never skimped on their respects to you..."

"Cut the crap! Go in and search, find the person and drag them out!"

Two dozen men responded and swarmed into the courtyard.